GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – The University of Colorado Colorado Springs men's basketball team fell by a score of 83-63 against the No. 22 nationally ranked Colorado Mesa University Mavericks on Saturday night at the Brownson Arena in Grand Junction, Colo.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final: UCCS 63, #22 CMU 83
Records: UCCS (13-10, 7-9 RMAC), CMU (18-4, 13-3 RMAC)
Facility | Location: CMU Brownson Arena | Grand Junction, Colo.
All-Time Series: The Mountain Lions fall to 10-43 all-time against the Mavericks.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The No. 22 ranked Mavericks came out of the gates hot as they opened the game on a 9-2 run, forcing UCCS head coach Jeff Culver to call an early timeout at the 16:45 mark. The stoppage would prove to provide a spark for the Mountain Lions as redshirt freshman Logan Bracamonte hit a three-pointer in the first possession out of the break to cut the CMU lead to 9-5. UCCS would continue to inch closer as the period progressed with a three-pointer by Jezza McKenzie and a pair of buckets inside the paint from Mac Stodart helping the Mountain Lions draw even at 12 with 10:52 left in the opening half.
- The tide would quickly turn back in the favor of CMU, however, as the Mavericks took advantage of a turnover and a pair of missed shots by UCCS to grab a five-point advantage, 19-14, with 8:34 remaining. After the two teams exchanged buckets to keep the margin at five points, Colorado Mesa put together a 7-0 scoring run capped by a layup from Blaise Threatt that extended their lead to 30-18 at 3:49. A three-pointer from CMU's Isaac Jessup with 1:05 left in the half would push the Maverick's lead to its largest of the opening half at 17 points, but Bracamonte would match Jessup's trey with one of his own to end the period as Colorado Mesa took a 38-24 lead to the intermission.
- The second half started with a turnover off the hands of Beni Fungula leading to another two-point basket from Jessup that pushed the CMU lead to 16 points, 40-24. The Mountain Lions would get their offense rolling in the coming minutes as three-pointers from Bracamonte and Jon'il Fugett along with a driving layup from McKenzie brought the UCCS deficit to just ten points, 44-34, with 15:57 remaining in the game. After grabbing an offensive board, Noah Baca brought UCCS within eight points with a second chance layup at 13:05.
- With their lead now down to single-digits, the Mavericks flashed their offensive firepower by scoring 15 consecutive points, including seven from Owen Koonce, to build a game-high 23-point lead, 66-43, at the 9:37 mark. The Mountain Lions would find a response and go on an eight-point run of their own as Fugett and Sufyan Elkannan hit back-to-back shots from beyond the arc and Baca drove into the paint for a layup that brought the deficit back to 15 points with 8:00 left in the game. The Mavericks would quickly bounce back and continue their success down the stretch as they finished the game with a 20-point victory, 83-63, over the Mountain Lions.
GAME STATISTICS
- The Mountain Lions shot 21-of-56 (37.5%) from the field and 9-of-23 (39.1%) from three-point range while going a perfect 12-for-12 from the free-throw line.
- UCCS was out-rebounded 34-25 by the Mavericks and trailed CMU 44-20 for points in the paint.
- Fugett (18 points), Bracamonte (11 points), and McKenzie (11 points) combined to score 40 of the Mountain Lions 63 points in the game.
- McKenzie was also stellar on the defensive side of the ball as he matched his season and career high with four steals.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Sophomore Mac Stodart was a force inside the paint tonight, notching a career high three blocks.
- Tonight marks the first time this season that UCCS has been perfect from the free throw line (12-for-12). Over the course of the two-game road trip through Westminster and Colorado Mesa, the Mountain Lions shot 96% from the charity stripe, going 24-for-25.
UP NEXT
- UCCS returns home next weekend to continue their conference slate against Black Hills State University and South Dakota School of Mines on Friday, Feb. 10 and Saturday, Feb. 11. Both games are set to tip off at 7 p.m. from the Gallogly Events Center.
SOCIAL
Twitter - @GoMountainLions
Instagram - @gomountainlions
Facebook – Go Mountain Lions
As a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs competes in 16 varsity sports in NCAA Division II intercollegiate athletics.
